Voting Information

Registering to vote

A new Register of Electors is published each year which is effective from 1st December in one year to 30th November in the next. You can only vote if your name is on the register and the registers are compiled from information supplied by householders during the annual canvass which is carried out during the autumn each year. Electoral registration forms are sent to each household for completion.

If you move, or did not register during the autumn, you can apply to have your name added to the register. Valid claims for voter re-registration are dealt with on a monthly basis.

Registration forms

The Council deliver a form to all homes in the borough at the beginning of September every year, this is called the 'annual canvass'. You must return this form so that the Council can update the Register of Electors. If you fail to return the form you will be breaking the law.

If you move house after the annual canvass or you are not registered for another reason, you can apply to be added through monthly alterations. You can download a voter registration form which includes notes to help you fill it in. Deadlines for each month's alterations are shown on the form.

Postal and proxy voting

You may opt to vote by post or by proxy and you can set this up at any time in advance of an election - you do not need to wait for an election to apply.

Postal votes are available to anyone who wants one provided they are on the Register of Electors. You may set one up on a permanent basis or one temporarily for a specific election. You can also have one set up for a specified period (i.e. whilst a student away at University). Postal votes are normally sent out 11 working days in advance of an election being held which gives the elector ample opportunity to fill out the ballot paper and return it to the Civic Centre before the close of poll on election day.

You may also apply to appoint a proxy to vote on your behalf. Long term applications need to be supported by a professionally qualified person.

Applications for postal votes need to be at the Electoral Registration Office by 5:00pm on the eleventh working day before an election is held in order that they are valid for that election. For proxy votes the deadline is six days before polling day.

For more information on either postal or proxy voting please contact Electoral Services on the following email address:-

electoralservices@hillingdon.gov.uk

or by telephone on the following number 01895 250251

or at the following postal address:-

Electoral Registration Office
London Borough of Hillingdon
Civic Centre
Uxbridge
Middlesex
UB8 1UW

Rules for Postal Voting

Over recent years the number of electors in England choosing to vote by post has grown rapidly. The residents of Hillingdon have followed this national trend and now over 18,000 electors are registered as postal voters.

However, following public concern that the postal and proxy voting process could be open to abuse, the government has decided to introduce new security arrangements. As a result, changes in the law now require electors who wish to vote by post or proxy to provide their date of birth and a specimen of their signature.

If you do not currently have a postal vote but wish to vote by post at future elections, please contact the Electoral Registration Office and they will send you an application form.